Public Behaviour and Demeanour

1. Maintain high ethical standards and educate your students about these values.
   1. Do not attempt to steal gigs/jobs which are already held by other dancers.
   2. Bad mouthing or offering to dance for a lower fee is likely to lead to everyone, including yourself, being undervalued in the market place.
   3. Where you have been hired by another dance studio to perform at a function, promote their dance studio/troupe/company by handing oyt their advertising material/flyers/business cards and not only your own.
   4. Do not attempt to make use of other people's choregraphy without obtaining their permission. Offer to pay for the piece/s in question. If the answer is NO, respect it. Do your best to support the music right laws of the country by encouraging others to purchase their own material, rather than make copies of your collection for them. Ensure that you know your SAMRO member number.
   5. Accept other dancer for their variety in dance style and give accreditation where it is due.
   
   
2. No dancer should perform in public under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
3. Avoid belly dancing at functions where there will be 'men only'
4. Avoid flirting while in costume as strangers may misinterpret your intent and you could jeopardize your personal safety.
5. A dancer should not allow the public to touch her body nor should she allow tips to be tucked into her bra top or hip belt front. If it is absolutely necessary to accept a tip to the costume, then offer the side of the hip, at the waist band by indicating this gracefully with a hand movement.
6. Be graceful and dignified when encouraging members of the public to get up and dance with you. Do not 'pester' if they decline. If they accept, remember to thank them for participating.
7. Acknowledge audience members who give you tips.
8. Where possible, the dancer should stick to the designated area of performance, and avoid dancing on tables and chairs, as it renders her very vulnerable to accident, assault and unwanted physical attentions.
9. No dancer may remove any article of clothing during a performance other than her veil, cloak, or face-covering.
10. When in costume, a dancer should behave with propriety, grace and restraint, remembering that her behavior reflects upon all belly dancers.

Aesthetics - Costuming & Appearance

1. Bras should fit well and provide adequate support, extending to at least 5cm above the nipple. If the side panels are open, an area of at least 5cm beyond the under-wire should be filled in to avoid exposure of the side of the breast. Butterfly tops should also be large enough and may need to be altered slightly to cover the sides of the breast. Choli tops should either be stitched to a bra or be sufficiently long enough to avoid 'creeping' over the bust when arms are lifted.
2. Underwear must be worn. When wearing only a skirt or only harem pants, do not wear a thong, g-string or tanga as these types of underwear expose the buttock area and allow the material of skirts or pants to 'creep' or 'wedge'. Be aware that flesh-coloured panties could be mistaken for nakedness and should therefore be avoided if only wearing a skirt
3. Skirt splits should not expose more than 3cm of hip. Front panel of skirt must cover the pubic area entirely. Back panel of skirt should wrap around, covering the front of the thigh. This will prevent the skirt opening during walking by throwing the split toward the inner thigh.
4. Some studios may require harem pants to be worn as part of the standard costume, unless the skirt is made of a dense weave material which is not see-through and does not have slits.
5. Harem pants may only be worn on their own if they are made of opaque material.
6. Levels of skirts / harem pants should not sit lower than 4 fingers below the navel.
7. Cloaks or coveralls should be worn by dancers in costume who are traveling to a performance, waiting in a public place to perform or traveling from a performance.
8. All costuming should reflect modesty and decorum, without in any way sacrificing beauty or sensuality.

Dance Movements

1. A dancer should not touch or caress her own body. The tip of her thumb may rest very lightly on the top edge of her belt, hand parallel to the ground, or the back of the hand may rest flat against the small of her back, or on the hip.
2. Dancers should avoid shaking any part of the anatomy too close to the audience as they may look cheap and lose the respect of the audience.
3. Direct and lasting eye contact with members of the audience should be avoided as this could be construed as a "come-on".
4. During dance, the knee must not be turned out. This gives the impression of 'presenting' the groin area.
5. Pelvic movements should avoid back and forth 'thrusting' as these can appear overtly sexual.
6. Back-bends should be executed facing away from the audience to avoid presentation of the groin area.
7. Floor work should be of an artistic or technical nature, and should avoid overtly sexual overtones.